1) Sports Ministry Unprepared to Prevent Papua
Boxing Riot: Komnas HAM
2) Families of
victims of Nabire boxing riot not to press charges: Police
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1) Sports Ministry Unprepared to Prevent Papua Boxing Riot: Komnas HAM
Indonesia’s Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs has failed to ensure the safety of the nation’s stadiums, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said following an investigation into a riot at a deadly crowded boxing stadium in Papua’s Nabire district.
A riot during a boxing match at Kota Lama Stadium sent nearly 1,500 spectators rushing toward a single exit on Sunday, July 14. The stampede left 18 dead, injured 34 others and prompted claims of a conspiracy among some Papua officials.
Papua Police arrested the event’s organizer, charging him with negligence after discovering that he failed to apply for a crowd permit, unlock four of the stadium’s five exits and ensure that Kota Lama Stadium could handle the crowds at the week-long event.
Komnas HAM conducted its own investigation into the incident, announcing on Tuesday that the deaths were caused by panicking spectators.
“The temporary conclusion of Komnas HAM’s investigation states that the incident that killed 18 people is purely an accident because [the spectators] all rushed toward one exit,” Komnas HAM commissioner Natalius Pigai said in a press statement. “Komnas HAM found no facts or evidence that the tragedy was the fault of certain parties or the result of negligence.”
But the commission passed harsher criticism on to the Sports Ministry. The ministry has failed to inspect Indonesian stadiums or establish a clear operating procedure for events like the Nabire Cup boxing tournament, the statement read.
“The Minister of Sports and Youth has neglected to exercise control regarding sports facilities worthiness,” Natalius said.
The stadium was in poor condition before the riot and should not have been used for an event of this size, Komnas HAM said. The Sports Ministry, by failing to set enforce clear standards for sporting events, was unable to ensure the safety of the crowd, the statement concluded.
The human rights commission has reached out to victims’ families to explain that the stampede was an accident, Natalius said.
Funerals for the deceased and the results of local investigations have not resulted in protests, he added, explaining that the affected residents accepted the explanation.
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2) Families of victims of Nabire boxing riot not to press charges: Police
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Archipelago | Tue, July 23 2013, 11:57 AM
Papua Police have said that the families of those who died and sustained injuries in rioting during a boxing match in Nabire on July 14 would not press charges.
According to the police, the families signed statements confirming that they would not file lawsuits following the bloody riot.
“All parties accept that that the incident was a [predestined] calamity,” Papua Police chief spokesman Sr. Comr. I Gede Sumerta Jaya said as quoted by Antara news agency on Monday, adding that the families signed the statements without any coercion .
Following the signing of the statements, according to Sumerta, the police postponed naming the committee head of the boxing tournament, Nabartus Yeima, a suspect in the incident.
Seventeen people – including a pregnant woman – were trampled to death and 39 others sustained injuries as some 1,500 spectators scrambled for the door at the overcrowded Kota Lama stadium to escape the riot, which broke out after the final match of the Nabire Regent Cub boxing championship.
An investigation by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) concluded on Sunday that the Youth and Sports Ministry was responsible for the deadly stampede by failing to provide sufficient information about safety standards and regulations in sporting events. (hrl)
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